Clutch



A. THOMSON y Feb. 10, 1931.

CLUTCH Filed Feb. 11, 192e WHW N mflf//mwb Patented Feb. 10, 1931 NITEbili-,STATES 'I .ARTHUR T Hoivrsolv, OFWALKERVILLE, oNTAnro,"eAnAnA,Appncauonliea February 11, 19.2 s. sem1 nol'asasss.- 'i i Thisinvention relat'esto that class of dei,

vices commonly known as clutches adaptedto transmit motion from onerotatablememberf to another.' An objectofthe present invention is toprovide an arrangement whereby quick and positive release vandengagement of the members is insured fand whereby a very high leverage1s Y.secured for bringing the parts into engagement, It is also anobject of the V'invention to provide an arrangement of'clutch memberswhich is such as to insure positive Vclutching action with a minimum ofrequired power and which arrangement is such as to obviatethe necessityforV adjust- Y i ment tocompensatefor wear. It is also an vobject tosoarrange frictionshoes that the inner friction surface of each shoewillalways be brought into frictional contact its opposed surface and inwhich arrangement f- Aone shoe forms a fulcrum point for the'other shoe,asingle lever servilflgto f orce said shoes toward'each other and into.frictional contact l with yan interposed part'of another member of .theyclutch. `Afurther object is t0 provide Tao a simple vand efficientconstruction andarrangement which is compactand may be'read!ily/embodied in any of the mechanism-swhere clutches are commonly used.

. Wi li the above and other lends view, the

invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and moreparticularly pointed outa f in the appendedclaim, reference being .h adto the drawing in which Figure l is a longitudinal central sectionthrough a device illustrative `o f ane1;n loodi` y ment of the presentinvention;`

Fig..

2 is an end elevation with .portions broken away and in section upon'thelineQQ ,v .of Fig. 1; 40

n.Fig-3 is a horizontal sec-tional detaillsub-V stantially vin theplanefof the aXi-s ofrotation of the device;

Fig. 4 is a detailshowing a portion'of'the device asshown inFig. 2 .withthe parts in` a` different `Fig. 5 1s a sectional elevationcorrespondpositionto illustrate the operation,

ving to Fig.` 2 and illustrative of a `modiiied construction.

It will be 'understoodlthat' the invention .appended-claim andarenecessary to make the f uses, are contemplated..r v v.

In Figs. l'to 4 inclusive,.l ,indicates a 4driv-v ing-shaft and 2indicates a driven shaft supf ported in y axial alinelnent. Securednto fthe shaft l to turn therewith is a disk Sandse-V present inventionapplicablefto such v various cured to the adjacent end ofthe shaft 2'isY a similar disk or cup memberfl, the disk y.31 beingthe driving memberand the ldiskV or` cup 4 member 4 being the driven member. Pro.-

f jecting laterallyfmm the 'face of theadisk.,

toward the member 4, is an annular outstanding rib 5 which isconcentricwiththeaxis off.'

rotationof the disk and iffound desirable other concentricannular ribsiand 7 may be provided on the disk 3 ,inspaced relation to the krib 5thus forming annular groovesS between the rib 5 and the ribsl and 7.

The driven member or disk .'4 is preferably to 4overli'e the peripheryof the disk'3,thus' orrning a casing for the mechanism which@ isinclosed within the space between the'driv- .jngand driven disks 01jmembers-3 and Y.A pair of leverslO are pivotally-attached ,y

at their outer Vends to the disk-4 acent ,the

formed withy a peripheral flange 9 adapted periphery ofsaid disk,-bymeansof pivot;

studs 11 Vwhich p assloosely through ,slightly elongated openings l2 inthefendsfof the levers, said openings permittingfof-a slightlongitudinalmovement lof the levers during their .C

swinging movement. At)theirinnerendsv these. levers are provided with`roi 1nded--latv erally extending headsl or bosses 13 'toenvgage withinlongitudinal slotsV 14 lin asleeve` Vmember lwhichisy mounted uponftheend;-9 Y portion of the shaft l which proj ectsthrough the hub of thedisk 3. -1 Vhile twoofjthe levers 10 have been shown, it will beunderstood that joneor more ofY these levers maybe employed and eachllever is vof a length to swing laterl ally of the sleeve 15 in eitherdirection, swinging from side to side of an axial plane passing lthroughthe axis ofthe shaft 1 and through the axis of the pivots for the outerends of the levers.

A pair of shoes 16 and 17 is provided for each of the levers 10 and pins18 carried by each lever engage within openings in the shoesv andpivotally `connectfthese `shoest'of thelever.' The inner shoe 17 visengaged within thee groove 8 at the innen side ofthe .rib andfthe shoe16 lies within the groove 8' at'the'outer" Withjthsiarrangement a greatamount on leverage is :secureddue to the -factthat the pinliwhich?attaches one-of thefshoe'slt theleverforms -aflc'rum fr thev lever 'ini*bringv ingftheoth'er shoeinto contactv with vthe'ril;y The shoesAarethereforeei'n effect"A moved fto wardieachother :and Tintoinnifrictinal engageIne-'Iitwit'hfkthe oppositesides-ofthelrib 5 i x when'thejlevelii -is swungilaterally 'in either,

directio'ngf and fas 'each vshoeY is pivotally at' tacliAed-itoitsfleverintermediateth'e ends'of-v the-shoe; saidishoe-islffreef to turnrelative'to the lever andlc'onform tol-"itspath: ofetravel within itsgroov'ei,v comparatively' slight looselyswingingmovement fthlele'vefrtherefore-'brings `thefshoes 'carriedftheiebylinto firm'vfrictienal'-fengagenuent with" opposite sides of the-ribanda-swinging'movementin `an opposite direction yas quicklyA Vreleasessuch',l fric tional engagement; andipermits "the drivingl nienrber anddriven member; to rotate" inde-A pendently Further as? the' driven niernber carries the leversand shoes; andas said levers extendin angular;relationfto the 7ribg vl5 of the -fdfrivingl member, said ldrivenliner'nlber in; running j.aheadof the driving n ieinber-,` tends` torelease the frictional Contact off the 'shoes free tolturnxinthe samedirection-asl the driv-V the Tdriver. This feature makes fthekp'resent i1 clutch'partlcularly*, adaptableafor use v asoverrunning-clutchwlierever it is desiredthat4A thefdriven memberbefalwaysfreetoturn iii" the saine .direction fas lthedrivingmember butwilli Sat thesamd time nall-ways be lpositivelyf driven fthe drivingmember 'whenever its motion lla-'gs behindf-thatfof the 'drivenlAAi'iother limportant ffeature' of the y present v1 construction andarrangeinent is jthat the' clutch-'isi operative in driving-1n eitherdirectionfof-rotatlonfor the reason that the levers;

1Q may be swung laterally ineither direction" ,fronr side'- to sideoffa'n axial passing through the pivot of the lever and hub portion orshaft of the clutch.

As illustrative of simple means for swinging the levers 10 to operatethe clutch, the sleeve 15 is formed with a pair of spiral slots 19 to beengaged by pins 2O on links 21 at each side of the shafts 1 and 2 andextending througliiguidesjQ-Q provided on the hub'portion off'ythedrivendisk 4f Tlie outer ends-'of-these links 21 are pivotally attachedtoalsuitableioollar-f23ywliighis free to slide upon the shaft 2, or asshown, upon a sleevel extension 24 of the hub of the driven member 4c.By means of a hand lever 25 this collar 23miay-beilovedflongitudinallyof the Shaft? .and thusmQYe-thelinksZllongitw dinal1y. Such?mov/'einerit" of?` said links .care

Sleeve" 'ai 'tatv allevamenti Ba fsa'slf LO' the "engagement Ofi thelevers 10` wintthe lelistllfnel' Slots 14 in tlie Sleeve 15,3, ,Suchtrotative?movement off' the oppositeV ysides oft'heAg-riblf on thedriving 5', the drivingmeinber '2 6i`sjshown I'as a" disk which*` issupportedwithintlre annular `rimw27 past the of thefdriven 'Ineiiib'eryysaidj 'Fdiiven member p ing the'hubfwitlithefriin 27j."y Along-levei'OA- is pivotally-` attached fat t one rend byfmeans 27 -at theother side of the clutchiy The spring 33is interposed' between thefreejend'ofsthe leveren-d alsaifabieiiigsrgn pnerimeawan an" 'adj'ustingscrewy passingjfthiough'; theA lugto adjust the tensionoffthespring, The

Shoes ,aed' f'r rirofellyattaehd 'intermediate their fends to` thelever-30' by 'means of the y screwstuds' "38 andlthes'e friction'yvshoes g lie wit-hin annular grooves |39 landt,allforrnel'v j inthefaceof the drivingnmemb'er, said grooves-l frming 4between;them an"outstand-V ing" annularf rib '4:1"w'hichE fis'v adapted' "trfbe I'grppsdbetwen thetWO-,Shoes''and 37: The spring/Snormally exerts'aforceto swingfthe lever away" A'from fthe" i shaft v1 and?` bringfthefriction shoes intofrictional engagement with the fribn-, Any suitablemeansfnotgshown may beemployed to swing thelever SOagainst j the: action,of the spring T53 K andi toward the l Shaft c l, hus'movnggithelfCt-,ri' Shoes 'O .ult of Contact with theannular rib*.topermit thedriving? Yand driven members to turn' 'indef pend -e nt ly.A `Withwlthisarrangement the 4clutch' actiongisf'in one direction vof rotationonly,vbut as vthe leverl'30 iscarried by the ldriven'inernber, said member isalways free to overrun' the driving member, thus providing anoverrunningclutch.

Obviously other means may be provided for operating the levers than thatshown and other changes falling within the'scope of the appended claimmay be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention and `I donot therefore limit myself to the particular construction or arrangementshown. Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is:

In a clutch, the combination of a driving disk having an annular ribprojecting laterally from one face thereof, a driven disk vin andvhaving a limited'longitudinal move-` ment, a pair of shoes eachpivotally attached intermediate its ends to one of said levers andarranged to engage opposite sides of said rib, a sleeve rotatable aboutthe axis of said members and engagingl the inner ends of said levers, ahand lever for rotating said sleeve in either direction independentlylof the rotation of said driving and driven members, said sleeve beingformed with spiral slots, links at opposite sides of the axis ofrotation of said members and connected at one end to said hand lever forlongitudinal movement thereby, and pins on the opposite ends of saidlinks to engage in said spiral slots.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. v

ARTHUR THOMSON.

